AMCHAM held its 44th Annual General Meeting on June 15, 2021, a first for AMCHAM to be conducting our AGM virtually. AMCHAM is pleased to report the addition of three new members to the Board of Governors, five returning board members, and three board members who will serve the remaining time of their two-year term.

We would like to thank our members for making time to attend and ensure a quorum was reached to proceed with the meeting. The AGM ran smoothly with no urgent matters arising and successful adoption of the Governor’s slate.

In his special address today, 15 June, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin spoke about the National Recovery Plan, an exit strategy from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis

The National Recovery Plan consists of four phases and will involve planned phase transitions of the MCO in stages.

With the extension of the Full Movement Control Order (FMCO 3.0) effective from 15 June to 28 June 2021, a new set of SOPs have been released for General FMCO SOPs.

Notable updates include movement restrictions, health protocols at the workplace, and permitted activities such as Mining and Quarrying business.

More COVID-19 vaccination centres (PPV) will open over the next few weeks in Penang to boost the daily inoculation rate. Currently, the seven PPVs along with four government hospitals are dispensing about 8,500 doses of COVID-19 vaccines daily.

The vaccination rate in the state is expected to increase to about 24,406 doses daily as more PPVs open up in various locations in the state, including private hospitals and clinics.

The Drug Control Authority (DCA) of Malaysia has approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for those aged 12 and above, says Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah. The Health director-general also said that they gave conditional registration for the emergency use of the CanSino and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, both which only require one dose.

The commitment by the United States to assist Malaysia in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic was further strengthened with the pledge to donate vaccine doses via the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (Covax).

The U.S. Embassy in Malaysia said the additional assistance of COVID-19 vaccines to Malaysia and other Asian countries, amounting to seven million doses, was announced by U.S. President Joe Biden recently.

Malaysia administered its highest daily vaccination rate with 197,963 doses delivered yesterday (June 14), according to the latest data from the COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee (JKJAV).

A total of 142,890 individuals received their first dose, while the remaining 55,073 received their second jab yesterday.

EY has released its latest tax alert issue No. 12/2021. This issue covers:

The importance of a well-oiled supply chain is all the more apparent today as the global business landscape undergoes transformational shifts arising from macroeconomic pressures, challenges from the pandemic, as well as the ongoing geopolitical and trade tensions between the US and China.

HSBC Malaysia has put in place a range of specific loan and financing relief measures to support its most vulnerable personal and business customers whilst announcing broader strategies to develop financial resilience amongst its wider customer base. HSBC customers can apply for a three-month loan or financing deferment or reduce their monthly instalments by up to 50% for six months.

Hospital Ampang has close to 150 COVID patients now in, and for the past few weeks the hospital has been expanding the wards in terms of manpower, equipment, and proper isolation spaces.

Both patients and clinicians need equipments urgently to be able to do their work.

If anyone is able to assist, please contact Kevin at kevin@amcham.com.my or Elaine at elaine@amcham.com.my

This daily round-up brings you a selection of the latest news and updates on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, as well as tips and tools to help you stay informed and protected. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 175.9 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 3.8 million. More than 2.36 billion vaccination doses have been administered globally, according to Our World in Data.